Loving Him is Red
by livydean
Summary: Alyssa Gilbert, the twin of Jeremy, struggles to cope with her new life after her parents die. What will happen when she falls for a blue-eyed, raven-haired vampire from the dark side of the tracks?
1. Chapter 1

Sometimes, I think I am crazy; like batshit crazy. Hell, maybe I am even mental institution crazy. That's always what my twin brother Jeremy says, anyway. How can I not be though, after what had happened to us? Where should I start? Oh yes…my parents died in a car accident on the Wickery Bridge. Yup, they drowned. My older sister, Elena, Jeremy and I were all in the car when it happened. Somehow we were able to survive when our protectors couldn't. Now we live in Mystic Falls; this little spot of a town located in the middle of nowhere. It was a far cry from California, where we used to live. My father owned a lake house, however, in Mystic Falls. We were going to stay up there for me and my brother's birthday; we were turning 16. Some sweet sixteen, right? It was this whole big thing; we even rented a small boat so we could all jet-ski. I didn't know how but I was so excited to be able to finally be old enough for my father to teach me. (He was pretty strict when it came to safety. Gotta love irony.) My parents even took off a week from work. Growing up, my siblings and I loved coming to Mystic Falls because it was so simple. Now that they are gone, it feels constricting…so quiet it's like everyone can read your thoughts. It's a small town, so everyone also knows everyone's business, which I hate.

Anyways, we are living with our Aunt Jenna now for the time being and expected to attend the local high school. Oh, joy. I always used to love school and I was good at it. Getting straight A's was sort of an ego boost for me. See, in my family, there was Elena the star and Jeremy the athlete for me to compete with. Elena was gorgeous; literally drop-dead beautiful. She was the girl that made guys flip their heads around and all the girls want to reconsider what they were going to eat for lunch. She was a cheerleader (such a cliché right?) with long, thick brown hair, chocolate eyes and a figure that could make a model look obese. That was my sister. She was 17, in her senior year of high school with dreams that used to extend as long as the Milky Way. Now, though, I wasn't sure where her dreams were. After the accident, we stopped talking about serious things. Or, at least, I did. Jeremy is my twin brother, although as different from me as can be. He's tall and muscular, a football player that the other teams envied. He was the apple of my dad's eye, even though his grades left a lot to be desired. Like Elena, he was good looking. He was never one of those people who lacked a date for a dance. Now, though, he is addicted to drugs and God knows what else. We used to get along really well, like peas and carrots, as Forrest Gump would say. Now we are close in the fact that we aren't close…if that makes any sense at all. Jeremy and I don't talk to each other much anymore, and that's exactly how we like it.

When horrible things happen to us, we don't see the need to sit and blab about it for hours. Hell, I can't even remember the last time I really cried in front of someone. Alone, yes…but in front of another person is sharing too much. I think my brother and I have perfected the act of shell making. Mine has hardly a dent in it. Unlike my siblings, I don't consider myself exceptionally pretty. Actually, I am pretty average looking, maybe lower. I have medium brown hair and a regular body; nothing too amazing. I was never coordinated enough to be an athlete like Elena and Jeremy. I never got the whole school spirit thing anyways. The only thing I could really do was write and sing. However, I had horrible stage fright and barely sung anymore. Unlike Elena, I wasn't Miss Bubbly and Popular even though I did have friends. This year, however, I knew making friends wasn't going to be in my near future. Honestly, I was sort of okay with that. I mean, we knew some people here, like Matt, Bonnie and Caroline; Elena's friends that we grew up with. We were born in Mystic Falls, after all. However, we moved to California when I was around 10. We used to live in the lake house we came to use as a vacation home. A little ironic, isn't it?

Nothing has really changed since we left; still as old-fashioned as ever. Jenna lived in a decent, two story house near the high school. However, now, I was sharing a room with Elena. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but I missed being able to close the door to my room and be totally and completely alone. But she wasn't a bad roommate; I loved having her as a sister. I just wished she didn't have to…_talk _about things all the time. Some things were better left unsaid…like the fact that a part of me is so angry at our parents for leaving us. It was like I blamed them for drowning. Ridiculous, I know…hey, I didn't say I was normal. I knew no one, not even the sullen Jeremy, would understand the thoughts that darkened my head every day. Not even I fully understood, which to me, is a major sign. So my solution was to act like it never happened. It wasn't the easiest of tasks, especially when Elena put a giant picture of all of us on the dresser next to both of our beds. It was a constant reminder of how happy we used to be as a family.

I looked at myself in that picture, all smiles and glowing with a sense of pride. I couldn't believe that back then, I had no idea what would happen to us. I was so naïve that I thought my parents would be able to watch me graduate and go on to college. My dad used to say I was Harvard-bound. Now I wasn't so sure. I could feel my motivation slipping away like a giant balloon deflating. I had no idea how or if I would get it back. In the picture, all of that wasn't there. I was just a girl waiting for life to begin…now I am a girl waiting to take back what life had stolen from her. But I couldn't tell my happy, popular sister that. Nor could I tell her that every night since the accident; I have nightmares that I am drowning. I wake up in cold sweats, chest constricting and struggling to breathe. She sleeps right through it because I don't scream. I don't even let my emotions out in my dreams. Anyways, the night before we started high school, my whole body was practically shaking with nerves. I was lying in my bed while Elena put her long hair in a ponytail in front of the mirror.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" She asked, looking at me from my reflection.

"No," I said quickly.

She turned around with raised eyebrows.

"Alyssa, please." She said. "I can see your leg twitching from here."

"Okay, so maybe I am a little nervous! This town isn't exactly like California and I wasn't all that popular then either. What if I don't make any friends here? This town is so small that when I get labeled as a freak, then no one will ever forget it."

She came and sat on her bed, facing me.

"No one is going to call you a freak, okay? You aren't. Besides, you already know some people so you won't be totally alone. And I will be there and Jeremy."

"Yes but those are your friends." I pointed out.

"They are yours too. You're gonna make friends, Alyssa. Trust me. I know we've been through a lot but maybe being in a new place will help."

_How? _I thought.

"Maybe," I mumbled, chewing on my nail.

She smiled in that typical older sister way…like she was seeing right through me. It made me blush. She went back to the dresser and got a hair tie and brush.

"What are you doing?" I asked, tired.

"Turn around," she said, sitting next to me.

She started brushing hair and pulling it apart to make a French braid. I couldn't even remember the last time she did that. That familiar lump formed in the base of my throat.

"Your hair is so silky, Lyssa. You are beautiful. Maybe you could join a club to help you meet people." She said.

"What? Like cheerleading? That sure would be a sight." I scoffed.

She laughed. "No, but there are other things you could do. Join the choir…I miss hearing you sing."

"Do you think people know about the accident?" I asked as she tied the elastic keeping the braid in place.

"I'm sure they do." She said quietly.

"I bet they're gonna treat us like we have the plague. That, or poor little Gilbert's. Either way, it makes me want to vomit."

"Could you at least try to have a good attitude?" She asked, getting on her bed.

"I could," I remarked sarcastically. "But what would be the point?"

"Well," she said, pulling up the covers. "You may meet a guy…a great guy who will sweep you off your feet."

"Trying to get to you, you mean?" I asked, doing the same.

She sighed. "You are impossible."

My heart tingled with guilt. I never used to be such a downer or even rude. But I couldn't control it anymore; it was like I had some rare form of Bitch Tourette's.

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

"It's okay. You know, you can't fool me, Alyssa." She said, as she turned out the light.

The room went pitch black, the mirror image of my heart.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You act so tough on the outside. You think that hiding your feelings will make them go away. But you're just scared…scared of more loss, scared of rejection. But you're a beautiful girl, Alyssa, and so smart. You'll get through this. I just wish you would let me in a little bit."

Those all-too-infuriatingly-familiar tears threatened to fill my eyes with their stinging taunts. My throat started to close, leaving me with that thick feeling. I cleared my throat, trying to keep it at bay.

"Goodnight, Elena." I croaked.

She was silent for a while before saying, "Goodnight, Alyssa."

And then I was alone in the dark, with only my thoughts to keep me company. Welcome to Mystic Falls, I thought. There was nothing left for me to do but wait for whatever catastrophe would await me when I closed my eyes. Elena's words spun in my brain.

_You're just scared. _

I knew I was. Her answer was that I would meet a guy. What guy would want a girl with so much baggage? Well, maybe if they looked like Elena. I wouldn't meet anyone who would be interested in me. That was a fact. But why did a part of me still hope. It was silly to hope now.

_You're just scared. _

This time, it was my own voice that said it. Growling at myself, I slammed my eyes shut, welcoming myself back into the world of nightmares.

Welcome to Mystic Falls.


	2. Chapter 2

It's official; junior year sucks, especially when you are the new girl in a small town. It was like one of those clichéd teen movies where there are clicks and nerds and all that nonsense that used to make me want to turn it off. Of course, when it's real life, I don't get the luxury of turning it off. The school itself was fine. It was brick walled, large, and pretty old fashioned compared to the schools we used to go to. Elena had no problem fitting in; she had that gift I guess. Luckily, I didn't have to see her for most of the day and Jeremy had disappeared the second we got there. I didn't have any classes with him even though I was secretly hoping for some. At least then I would have a familiar face to look at. I had been put in all AP classes, which most likely explained why I wouldn't be seeing Jeremy. Bonnie and Caroline, Elena's friends, tried to talk to me at first but since I continued to ignore them, I think they got the message.

It wasn't that I didn't like them because I honestly did. Well, I liked Bonnie anyway. Caroline was too much of a busybody for my taste but she wasn't horrible. It's just that both of them insisted on looking at me like I was some sort of charity case; like "be nice to Elena's little sister because she lost her parents." GAG! I'm sorry but I hated people's pity and I always have. Just as I had predicted the night before, it seemed like the entire world knew about what had happened. If one more random stranger said they were sorry for my loss, I think I would implode into a million pieces. Lunch in the cafeteria made me want to stick my head in a toilet and flush it. It was like that scene in _Mean Girls, _when she couldn't find a seat. I felt dizzy, claustrophobic and hot; like all the walls were crashing down on me. Elena didn't have the same lunch as me, which a part of me was sorry about. I would have sat with her instead of sitting in a bathroom stall like a typical, high school loser. But whatever…there was nothing I could do about it.

Whenever I was alone, I got this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I lost my voice, my eyes stung, and my leg started to shake. I started thinking about my parents and how it felt to be inside that car as it filled with freezing water. I couldn't go to class like that…then I would really be the talk of the town. I grabbed all of my stuff and half-ran out the door of the high school. I wasn't exactly sure where to go so I walked towards the football field, which luckily, was completely vacant. I knew I couldn't leave the school completely even though I wanted to. That would give Elena grounds to talk me to death. I knew I should talk to her. She was my sister for God's sakes. But I knew that if I started talking I would start crying. If I started crying, I would never stop and that couldn't happen. I couldn't be weak like that. Besides it was like I couldn't cry anymore anyway…my eyes just would sting like someone threw soap in them or something.

I was sitting on the bottom bleacher, watching squirrels pounce on each other in the trees, absently kicking my shoes into the dirt.

"You're gonna ruin your pretty shoes if you keep doing that," a deep, strange voice said from behind me.

I jumped and flipped around. I nearly lost all my breath just by looking at him. He was the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen…and I mean ever! He had jet black hair that was tousled and curled around his ears. His eyes were ice-blue, electric and piercing. And for once, they didn't hold any pity in them. He smiled but it seemed cocky and smug.

"Skipping class on the first day," he remarked with a grin. "Naughty naughty," he clucked his tongue.

He plopped down next to me and I scooted away.

"And what exactly are you doing?" I hissed. "Participating in squirrel watching class?"

"Nah," he laughed. "I don't do the whole "high school" thing. It's too clichéd, don't you think?"

I didn't answer. I tried to ignore how fast my heart was beating sitting next to this handsome stranger. I could practically feel the heat rising to my cheeks and he smirked smugly, like he knew the effect he was having on me. Ass. Cocky ass.

"I'm Damon, by the way." He said, offering his hand to shake.

"Alyssa," I mumbled, not taking it.

"Alyssa," he said, enunciating every syllable in a way that made his voice sound like melted honey. "Nice name."

"Thank you." I said, gruffly. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Nope. Just enjoying the pleasure of your sparkling company. Do you?"

"Not really. I just want to get out of this school." I said, not looking at him.

"So why don't you?" He asked, like it was the easiest thing ever.

"I can't. My sister will kill me."

"Ohh, scary," he whispered teasingly.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"You're the new girl, right?" He asked.

"Wow, you're good. If you were planning on asking me about my parents, please don't. I am so sick of people talking about it!" I snapped.

He raised his hands in surrender.

"Relax, I wasn't going to. I've lost enough people in my life to know when the ones left behind just need space. Besides, I'm not nosy like half the people in this town." With that, he widened his eyes and rolled them.

I had to laugh.

"You mean _all _of them."

He chuckled.

"Are you from here?" I asked.

"My brother and I have moved around a lot but our family roots are here."

"Oh, cool. Ours too, actually. We used to be in California. Well, actually I was born here but then we moved there for my dad's job. We used the house we used to live in as a vacation home." I stuttered.

I tucked my hair behind my ear nervously but the wind kept blowing out. I was getting more flustered by the second and I could tell he was enjoying it. He leaned in closer and pushed the stubborn strand back in place. My whole body tensed at the contact.

"Relax," he whispered.

Why was everything about him so…_seductive? _I felt like one of those cartoon characters that would slam their head against the wall or ram into a tree. His face was inches away from mine. Was he going to kiss me? Was this beautiful stranger going to kiss me?

Oh my god, he was going to kiss me!

Now, most girls would probably be extremely happy by this. Most would even kiss back. But what did I do? I flung myself onto the dirt. Yes, you heard me right. I stumbled to get up and get as far away from him as possible, forgetting my backpack was at my feet. I tripped and fell flat on my butt in the dirt in front of the sexiest thing since Rob Lowe in the 80's.

Fantastic.

He threw his head back and howled…literally, like a god-damn, cackling wolf.

"I am so glad you are amused." I hissed at him, wiping off the dirt from my pants, too embarrassed to even get up.

He struggled to contain his hysterical laughter, which succeeded in making my blood boil in anger.

"Aw, don't pout," he teased, pouting himself. "Are you okay, there, Grace?" He laughed and pulled me up.

"Yeah, I'm great!" I muttered.

"Do you normally fall on the ground when you meet someone? Or is that just something you saved for me?"

I rolled my eyes and brushed off my butt. Oh who I was I kidding? I couldn't even try to act dignified when I had my hands on my butt cheeks.

"But seriously, are you okay?" He asked, losing the teasing tone.

I sat down on the bleachers again.

"I'm fine. Believe me, I do it all the time." I said.

"That doesn't surprise me." He winked.

I had to chuckle.

"So how old are you anyway?" I asked, dying for a subject change.

"119." He said.

"Wow, you look good for your age!" I exclaimed.

"I know right?" He teased. "I'm just awesome like that."

I rolled my eyes and laughed. Wow, I actually laughed. This was a first since the accident.

"Wow," I whispered out loud before I could stop myself.

"What?"

"I laughed!" I nearly shouted in awe.

He widened his eyes.

"Amazing," he said sarcastically.

"It is!" I insisted. "I haven't laughed since…never mind."

He smiled. He played with a strand of my hair again. I blushed.

"You're blushing." He noted, smirking in a sing-song voice.

"Am not," I said childishly.

"Really?" He asked, with a raised brow. "You're seriously gonna play that game with me? Are we 6?"

"You started it," I mocked, sticking my tongue out.

"Don't stick that thing out unless you intend on using it, sweetheart."

"Ew, you're a pig! And don't call me sweetheart!"

"Sorry, honey," he cajoled, pinching my cheek.

"You're infuriating!" I informed him.

"I've been told that. Usually on the second date though!"

"This isn't even a date! I hardly know you." I exclaimed.

"Ah, but you want to!"

"Do not!"

He raised both eyebrows at me and shook his head.

"Okay," I relented. "Maybe I do."

"Hmm," he whispered, getting close to me again. "Well, what do you suggest we do about that?"

"I don't know," I squeaked.

_Attractive, Alyssa_, I hissed in my brain. _Guys love the mouse thing. Not! _

"Have you ever been to The Grill? It's a restaurant/bar downtown." He said.

I shook my head.

"What do you say we go there this Friday? I bet you don't know how to play pool."

I laughed. "I do! And I bet I'll wipe the floor with you!"

He teasingly winced. "Oh, we shall see, young one. It's a date."

He stood up, leaving my insides in a knot. He offered me his hand to pull me up and this time I took it. His hands were absolutely freezing even though it was relatively warm out. I ignored it, as my body felt like it was on fire.

"Until we meet again, Alyssa," he smiled, handing me my backpack. "I'm sure I will see you around before Friday."

"Aren't you going to ask for my number?" I blurted.

"Well, aren't we a pushy one?" He mocked. "What kind of guy do you think I am? I take things slow."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please!"

"Now you're begging, oh my God! You are a pushy, little thing."

"I was not!" I exclaimed, turning beet red. "I was only..oh my God…you are impossible!"

He winked. "You have no idea." Then he got close to me and whispered in my ear, "But you will."

Chills ran down my spine. I opened my mouth to say something when I heard someone yelling my name from a distance.

"Damn it!" I hissed. "That's my sister."

Damon heard me and looked over to see Elena running to us.

"I take it you and sister dearest aren't close?"

"It's complicated." I half-groaned.

I walked over to meet Elena, hoping Damon's interest in me didn't die as soon as he set his eyes on her.

_Those gorgeous blue eyes. _

"What are you doing here and who was that?"

"Oh, um, class got out early and that's just nobody." I stammered.

She smiled. "He's a hot "nobody", huh?"

I blushed.

"Alyssa Michelle Gilbert, are you blushing?!" She all but yelled as kids poured out of school.

"Why don't you say that louder, I don't think he heard you!" I exclaimed angrily.

She chuckled. "Sorry."

I turned to look at him and he was gone. Great. I might as well forget it, I thought. But I couldn't. Those blue eyes haunted me the rest of the night. I realized I didn't even know his last name or even how old he really was. He could be an axe murderer for all I knew.

_A hot axe murderer, _my brain taunted. _Get a grip!_

But as I lay on my bed that night, after everyone else had gone to sleep, I could only think about one thing….

Damon.


	3. Chapter 3

I've never been one of those girls who get "obsessed" with guys, if you know what I mean. When friends of mine would be sick to their stomachs, clutching their phones as if it was the force that kept their hearts beating, screeching that "so and so wasn't calling", I would just laugh. I never got the whole celebrity fan girl thing either; like why waste your time liking someone who would never like you back? That's what I kept telling myself over and over about Damon. I hadn't seen him since the day we met on Monday, even though he said we would. As much as I tried not to, I always looked for his face in the hall or in the cafeteria. Hell, I even skipped class on Tuesday and Wednesday hoping I would see him. It was art class; how important could it be? But even still, I knew I was being an idiot, waiting around for some handsome stranger like one of those morons in clichéd Disney movies…the new Disney, not the old one.

By the time Thursday rolled around, I was completely fed up with myself. Elena kept asking about the "handsome stranger" but I just shrugged it off like it didn't matter. He wasn't going to take me out on Friday and I had to convince myself I didn't care. However, as I was leaving art class, I saw the familiar profile that I had been waiting so desperately to see. My heart skipped a few beats. _Play it cool, Alyssa, _I thought. _Act like you don't care. _He hadn't seen me yet; he was leaning up against a locker with his back turned. I straightened my spine, smoothed my hair and marched over like I owned the place. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye as I glided by as effortlessly as I could muster given the state of complete shock I was in. I even tried to pretend I didn't see him. He grinned and though I tried to look away, his blue eyes were so hypnotizing. That's why I didn't pay attention as I careened into a freshman carrying an open paint bucket to the art room. It all happened so fast; the next thing I knew, I was on the floor covered in red paint. Fan-fucking-tastic. I closed my eyes tightly, hoping that when I opened them again it would be some sort of morbid daydream.

But it wasn't.

The hallway parted like I had contracted a contagious disease and everyone scurried to their classes, pointing and laughing at me along the way.

"I am so sorry!" The pimply freshman exclaimed, spittle flying from his braces.

"It's okay," I said between clenched teeth.

Paint oozed down my legs like slime and I could feel it in my hair and all over my body.

"Yeah, she does it all the time." Damon's voice said from behind me, chuckling as he lifted me up from behind.

_Of course he would be there_, my head screamed. Of course he couldn't just go to class like everyone else. **OF COURSE**! I squeezed my eyes shut, paint coating my eyelashes like thick mascara. I could only imagine how horrid I must have looked.

"You are going to go to the janitor's closet, get a mop, and clean this mess. Now," Damon ordered the boy.

The freshman left with no hesitation, practically running down the hall.

"Jesus, Damon!" I exclaimed. "It wasn't his fault!"

He came in front of me, looking handsomer than ever in his black shirt and designer jeans. He smiled at me, shaking his head. I was thankful at that moment that the paint on my face was red; my cheeks were on fire.

"Is this a thing with you? Falling on your ass?" He laughed. "Oh, I get it; it's just when I'm around, duh. Who could blame you after all?"

I was so not in the mood for his teasing.

"Don't flatter yourself!" I hissed, furiously wiping at my clothes.

He laughed.

"You know, it's impossible to take you seriously looking like that. Come on, let's get some of this crap off you."

He took my hand and pulled me towards the men's room. I froze.

"Damon!" I exclaimed. "I'm not going in there!"

He rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed.

"Oh for God's sakes, boys don't have cooties. No one is gonna see you, now come on. You're dripping" At the last statement, he flashed a grin and yanked me into the dreaded bathroom.

He let me go by the sink. I growled as he grabbed a bunch of paper towels. I looked around at the urinals and shuddered.

"I don't see why we couldn't do this in the girl's room," I grumbled almost inaudibly.

"Stop complaining!" He said.

I rolled my eyes as he drenched the paper towels in water.

"Come here, you," he said and dabbed the wetness on my face.

I closed my eyes; I couldn't take being in such close proximity. He chuckled as he cleaned the glob from my right eye.

"Oh, Alyssa, what am I going to do with you?" He whispered.

I flinched, not opening my eyes.

"I haven't even known you for a week and I've picked you up from the ground twice. Klutz."

I rolled my eyes from inside the lids.

"I saw that!" He teased, poking my nose with the paper towel.

As he was throwing away the mound he used to clean my face, I looked in the mirror. To say I looked terrible was an understatement and a half. My hair was hardening and frizzy, my forehead still lined with red. I would have to shower a good 10 times to get all this out.

"So I guess Friday is out," I whispered, looking at the ground.

"Why would you say that?" He asked, wetting more paper towels.

"It isn't going to help; I need to shower when I get home," I said, not looking at him.

I could feel him staring at me, his expression unreadable. Then he flashed his trademark smirk.

"You still have some on your forehead. Look at me."

I gazed at him as he cleaned the remaining paint from my face.

"So, back to the subject," he said, his face close. "Why is Friday off exactly?"

I huffed. "Uh, hello, look at us…in the men's bathroom cleaning off paint that is probably permanently stained on my skin. I haven't seen you since Monday and I look like a mess! Why would you want to?"

Well, if he had still wanted to go with me until that point, I was sure he wouldn't now. Jeez, I made myself sound insane. Why couldn't life just have a rewind button?

"So?" He said with raised brows. "You tripped and fell into a kid holding paint. It happens…granted not to many people, but it happens. And you don't look like a mess. Has anyone ever told you, you look adorable when you're mad?"

"No," I said sarcastically. "No one has really taken the time."

"That's too bad." He said earnestly.

I flushed, not knowing what to say.

"Someone is blushing again," he teased.

I looked away, eyes burning. _Oh, no! _I thought. _You will not cry in front of him!_

"Hey," he said, his tone soft.

He took hold of my chin and forced me to meet his eyes.

"You're fine. No use crying over a little spilled paint. And to answer your question…I want to go to The Grill with you tomorrow because you make me laugh. You are the only person who has done that in a very long time. And you're honest. I fully intend on tomorrow happening and I hope you do too."

His voice sounded so tender, like he was talking to a child. I nervously bit my lip.

"Ok," I whispered. "Can we get out of here now?"

He laughed. "Yeah, let's go."

Kids were piling out to get to their buses, crowding the hall. We stopped in front of the parking lot.

"Is your sister going to drive you home or do you want me to give you a ride?" He asked.

"Um, my sister is here," I began nervously. "But I'm sure she won't mind."

"You sure?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

I nodded. He smiled and shook his head.

"Ok. At least now I will be able to see where you live. Just sit on your backpack, would ya? I don't want paint inside my car."

To my surprise, he had a silver mustang…my favorite type of car. My whole body was shaking with anticipation. This whole week I had been thinking he was a figment of my hormonal imagination but now I was in his car, alone with him, wind in my hardened hair.

"You have a nice car," I remarked dumbly as we left the parking lot.

"Thanks, its vintage." He said sunglasses on.

He looked so sexy. Before I knew it, my ride was over; he was at my aunt's house. I could barely remember directing him there; I wanted to kiss him so badly.

"Nice place," he said with a nod of approval.

"Thanks," I said. "For the ride and cleaning me up."

"My pleasure," he chuckled. "So I'll pick you up at 7?"

I nodded.

"Good," he grinned. "And wear a raincoat, would you? I don't want you wearing your dinner tomorrow."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I'll try to dig one out."

This time, I leaned in just like he did to me on Monday. Time felt frozen as he leaned closer to me too. But instead of going to my lips, he moved close to my ear.

"Tomorrow," he whispered. "When you're not covered in paint."

Before my body could react to the humiliation, he kissed my ear, sending ticklish chills up my arms. It took all my strength to not fall getting out of the car. He smirked as he watched.

"See you tomorrow, honey."

All I could do was nod. As he started the engine, I remembered something that had been bothering me.

"Damon!" I exclaimed before he could drive off.

"Yeah?"

"What's your last name?"

"Salvatore. Damon Salvatore."

With that, he sped off, leaving me with only one coherent statement in my brain.

_Oh my God. _


	4. Chapter 4

Tonight was the big night! Damon Salvatore would be at my house at 7 pm to take me to The Grill! I could hardly contain my excitement and Elena, who quickly got over how mad she was for not going home with her, offered to do my hair and makeup. At that moment, I was so incredibly grateful to have an older sister who was 10 times more gorgeous than I was…if you saw her in the morning, you wouldn't think that though! So she knew what she was doing. I was going to wear a peasant blue shirt with pearl rhinestones along the oval neckline. The sleeves went down to my elbows. I was also wearing denim jeans with denim flats. Elena wanted me to wear heels but I knew what a disaster I would cause if I wore them. Hell, I could trip over a spec of sand so I wasn't about to tempt fate by wearing shoes I could hardly walk in. As for earrings, I opted for pearl white; sea-shell shaped dangly ones to go with the gold bracelet on my wrist. Elena put brown eye shadow on me, black liner and curled my eyelashes to put mascara on. I looked like a complete stranger and she hadn't started curling my hair yet.

"You are so pretty, Lyssa," Elena said as she brushed my long hair.

"Thanks. I'm so nervous," I confessed.

"Well, don't be. Any guy who is willing to clean red paint of the face of a stranger is a keeper. He is obviously interested."

I laughed. "Easy for you to say; all guys are interested in you all the time. You're gorgeous and I'm just the lump gliding on your coattails."

"You aren't a lump!" She exclaimed.

"Elena, you wouldn't know a lump if you fell over one. Have you seen him? He's gorgeous."

"And so are you." She declared. "You are smart, funny and kind even if you have been grouchy lately. Of course this Damon would be interested in you! If you didn't send him running for the hills after the paint incident, I guarantee you guys have something."

"You really think so?" I asked, voice small.

"Of course! And especially now. Look in the mirror."

I gasped at what I saw. I didn't even recognize myself. Elena smiled triumphantly from behind me.

"You look just like Mom."

I smiled and leaned into her.

"Thank you," I said.

She hugged me and looked at her watch.

"It's almost 7. Now I want you to promise me you'll be careful, okay. Older guys can be pushy and I don't want him to pressure you to do anything you don't want to do."

"What, like SEX?" I blurted loudly.

"Who said something about sex?" Jeremy asked from the doorway.

"I was just informing Alyssa about what is on the mindset of older boys on dates."

"Forget older, try all," Jeremy said and went to walk off. "You look good, Lys."

"Thanks, Jer," I called after him, smiling.

I looked at my sister.

"Elena, Damon isn't like that."

"You don't know that. All I am saying is be careful. Guys like to see how far they can go as fast as they can go. Let him work for it."

I nodded, a lump forming in my throat. She sounded so much like Mom. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. We both grinned at each other like Cheshire cats.

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed. "He's here, he's here!"

"Well, yeah, go answer the door before Jeremy does!"

I ran down the stairs as quietly as I could and thrust the door open. There stood Damon, gorgeous in his customary black shirt and dark pants. I felt the air go out of me. He smiled at me and whistled.

"Look at you, Miss Alyssa, you look gorgeous."

I thought my heart was going to melt. Elena came up behind me.

"Hi, I'm Elena." She said, offering him her hand.

He took it and leaned down to kiss it. My blood boiled in jealousy.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My brother talks about you all the time." He said breezily.

_Brother? _I thought.

"Stefan," Damon continued.

"Oh, my God!" Elena squealed. "I didn't know Stefan even had a brother."

They were smiling at each other and I felt like a third wheel; I had no idea what to say.

"Well, you take good care of my little sister," she said to him, sensing the tension.

She sort of had a knack for that.

He looked at me fondly and pulled me into his arms. My whole body felt like it was full of helium.

"Don't worry, I will. But I can't promise she will come back unscathed with the way she attracts trouble." He winked down at me.

I rolled my eyes and pretended to be annoyed; but in reality I was still on cloud 9 just being in his grasp. He let go of me as if on cue.

"You ready to go, princess?" He asked.

I nodded. He offered me his elbow as we walked out the door. I really felt like a princess, especially when he opened the car door for me.

"Thank you, good sir," I said with a grin.

"You're welcome, my lady," he grinned back as he got into the car.

"Here, let me raise the hood for you," he mumbled as he fiddled with the remote.

"Oh, you don't have to…" I began but it was too late.

"And mess up your pretty hair?" He teased with a raised brow.

"I'm not vain like you," I said with a smile.

He guffawed. "I'm offended."

I laughed and shook my head as he started the car. It already felt so, I don't know, _easy _being with him.

"So are you ready?" He asked mysteriously as we drove down the street.

"Ready?" I parroted.

_Sex, _my mind automatically remembered from my talk with Jeremy and Elena. _Calm your fricken hormones, Alyssa! _

"To wipe the floor with me," he said as if I should have known.

"Still lost," I confessed.

"We're going to play pool, remember. You said you could beat me. It's on now."

"Oh," I exclaimed, blushing. "Yeah, right, of course."

I secretly wondered if I should just tell him I had never played a game of pool in my life. I decided against it when I heard him chuckling next to me.

"What's so funny?" I asked, blushing.

"You." He said plainly, smirking from the driver's seat. "Did you know that whenever you get nervous, you fiddle with your hair?"

I was about to deny it when I realized that was exactly what I was doing. My face must have gone scarlet…I didn't even know I was doing it. I thrust it over my shoulder quickly.

"Don't be embarrassed. It's adorable really."

_Adorable, _my mind bellowed. _What am I, a baby? A puppy? Why not hot?_

"Thanks," I squeaked.

_That's why, _muttered my mind. _So much for things being easy. _

"Not a problem, honey," he said as pulled into The Grill.

It was a pretty big place, white on the outside with a wooden sign on top. He whipped into a parking space with ease. Before I knew it, he was out of the car and holding the door open for me.

"Wow, and people say chivalry is dead," I teased.

"Mmm, we will see about that when we get in there, sweetheart." He said voice husky in my ear.

I could feel arousal erupting everywhere in my body. He put his hand on my shoulder and led me inside. It was dimly lit, with a bar on one side and regular tables on the other. Off to one side there was a dart board, pool table and whatever that game was with the stupid wooden men and the ball. I've always hated that game. Wow, so many ways to humiliate myself all in one place.

"So, I'm guessing you want a regular table, huh?" He asked.

"Whatever you want is fine," I stammered.

He laughed again. I almost grabbed my hair but I stopped myself short. I hope he didn't notice even though I was sure he probably did.

"You're too young to drink, silly," he teased, tapping my nose. "Can I get a table please," he yelled.

Suddenly Matt Donovan, one of Elena's old friends, appeared in front of us.

"Alyssa," he said, his voice coming out as a question.

He eyed Damon suspiciously.

"Hi," I said with a smile. "I didn't know you work here."

"Yeah, just started," he said, smiling at me. "Let me grab you guys a table," he said, shooting Damon another look. "Follow me."

"What was that about?" Damon asked when we sat down and Matt begrudgingly left.

"I don't know. That's Elena's friend, not mine. Sorry about that."

"No need," he said. "He's probably just protective of you. I would be too, if you were my sister."

"But I'm not his sister." I informed him. "And why should he be protective?"

Thankfully another server came and gave us our menus, taking our drink orders. I didn't need my sister's friend ruining my date.

"Because," he smirked, "I'm dangerous."

My heart picked up.

"Really? Is that so?"

He leaned in closer.

"Yep. Very."

I could play along too, I thought. _Be flirty, Alyssa. _I leaned in close too.

"Hm, I guess I should run then."

"I think that would be best." He said back.

I shook my head and pursed my lips.

"Yeah, but I don't really want to."

He mimicked my face, inching his hand near mine.

"Good because I don't want you to."

I imagined myself leaping over the table and kissing him right then, especially since he kept inching his way closer to me.

"Can I take your order?" A peppy waitress boomed, snapping me out of my lust.

I sat up straight. _Shit, I didn't even look at the menu. Damn it! _Damon ordered a cheeseburger, rare with extra pickles. When both of their eyes turned to me expectantly, my whole body heated up. I wanted a burger too but I didn't want something that would be messy and I also didn't want to seem like a fat-ass by ordering something massive.

"Ummm," I stuttered. "I'll have the house salad please."

_Every restaurant has a house salad, right?_

The waitress smiled, lingering hers on Damon a little too long and, thankfully, left. Damon raised his eyebrows at me and cocked his head.

"Really?" He asked.

"What?" I croaked.

"Alyssa, I can practically feel your stomach growling and yet you order a measly salad. What is wrong with you?"

I blushed and looked at the floor. I was already messing things up. Damn it, I just wanted to play it cool.

"Don't worry, when the waitress comes around again, just ask for some food. What, are you afraid of getting fat? Or are you just trying to impress me?"

His bluntness made me want to crawl into the nearest hole and die. I didn't answer him and I had no idea where to look.

"Look at me," he commanded.

I reluctantly met his gaze, trying to appear to not be completely flustered on the inside.

"You don't need to worry about either." He said.

Jesus, why did he have the ability to make me feel like a complete child? But truthfully, I was starving. When the flirty waitress fluttered by again, I gave her my new order with a surprisingly calm voice. Damon smirked in victory.

"See, that wasn't so hard." He mocked.

I could have thrown my cup at him.

"So, tell me about yourself." He said.

"What do you want to know?" I asked.

"Everything!" He exclaimed, widening his eyes.

I laughed nervously.

"Well, um, I live with my aunt, sister and brother. My parents died not too long ago in a car accident."

"I'm sorry," he said earnestly.

"Me too," I mumbled. "I was there. We all were. Only they didn't make it."

_Stop talking about this, _I thought. He didn't say anything; just patiently waited for me to elaborate.

"I haven't cried since." I admitted.

"You blame yourself?" He asked.

I nodded slowly. "Sometimes."

"Well, don't! There was nothing you could have done to save them. It was just bad luck, unfortunately. Blaming yourself doesn't do any good, sweetheart. You're only hurting yourself; you're not God."

I looked down. "I know."

"And as for the crying; don't be afraid to let it out. I promise you'll feel better after."

I could feel a lump in my throat. If I didn't steer this conversation, then I would start sobbing. This was supposed to be a date, for God sakes.

"Can we change the subject please?" I all but demanded just as our food got to the table.

"Of course, I was just trying to get you talking." The teasing was back in his voice, making me want to sing in relief.

"So, tell me about your brother." I prodded. "I didn't even know Elena knew him."

"There's nothing to tell." He said, almost darkly. "We aren't exactly close."

"Neither are me and Elena." I said.

"No, you guys are the Brady Bunch compared to us. We have a bad history. He goes to school with you guys too."

"Don't you?" I asked, bewildered.

"I'm a drop-out." He stated. "I don't do school. I was only there for one day and as luck would have it, met a beautiful girl."

I giggled impulsively.

"That doesn't bother you, does it?"

"That you dropped…no, not really." I said honestly. "So how old are you really?"

"119! God, don't you listen," he teased.

I rolled my eyes.

"Fine! I'm 20." He said. "A regular dumb-ass."

"Was that so hard?" I mocked back. "And you aren't dumb."

He watched me curiously as I dismantled my burger. I never ate burgers with my hands. Instead I picked apart the bread and ate the middle with a fork. He looked at me like I was a caveman.

"You are a strange one." He said.

"At least I'm not vain!" I exclaimed, sticking my tongue out.

"Stick that thing out at me again and I swear, I will get you." He playfully taunted, making my body tauten up again. "And at least I'm not a klutz."

"Hey, I didn't spill anything!" I informed him.

"Yet," he pointed out. "The night is still young."

I laughed. I noticed he was wearing a blue, silver ring on his right finger.

"I like your ring," I commented.

"Family heirloom," he explained. "My brother has one too. Don't worry; I'm not secretly married."

I laughed and continued to pick at my burger. He had already devoured his.

"God, you're slow." He fake-groaned. "Hurry up so we can play."

"Fine, impatient, I'm done!" I giggled.

"No rush," he said, hands raised.

I was turning into a giggly mess.

"No, I'm done." I said between giggles.

"Alright," he clapped his hands. "Prepare to die."

I followed him over to the pool table.

"Do you want to set it up?" He asked.

"Um, you can." I said as nonchalantly as I could.

He smirked, like he knew I was bluffing. As he set up the balls, I grabbed the first pool stick I could find. It was taller than me but I pretended not to notice.

"Uh, you might want a smaller stick, there, sweetheart," he teased, winking.

"God, you make it sound so dirty!" I exclaimed. "And its fine, I can play with this one. I like it long."

The reality of what I just said sank it as he yowled with laughter.

"You are so innocent; it's adorable."

I rolled my eyes. "Can we just play?"

"Fine, testy testy," he teased. "You want to break?"

Break? _What the hell did that mean? Break what? He wants me to break something? _

"You should go," I insisted. "It's only fair to let the loser go first."

"You are asking for it," he whispered in my ear.

Chills ran down my spine. He raised his pool stick and knocked the white ball into the perfect triangle of multicolored ones. They scattered across the table like a band of bees, falling over themselves into the padded holes.

"Stripes," he said.

He did the same thing again, aiming for the red-striped ball in the corner. It went in. Then he did it again. The black striped one went sailing in. It was like magnets. It didn't _look _hard. This time, he missed.

"Looks like it's your turn, Alyssa," he grinned. "Show me what you got."

_Great, my turn_. Luckily, with my genius intuition, I concluded that if he was stripes I was the solids. There; potential humiliation number one was out. Now all I had to do was actually hit the ball. I awkwardly tried to mimic the way I saw him holding his pole, trying not to look at him. I thrust the pole stick towards the white ball and missed completely. I tried again quickly, missing it again. Except this time, I managed to slam the pole against the wall and rattle a picture from the hanger. Perfect. Damon struggled to contain his laughter.

"I told you; you need a smaller one. One that isn't taller than you, smart one." He laughed as he picked up the picture and handed me another pool stick.

"I'll even let you try again." He said.

"Aren't you nice?" I teased.

"Just go, sassy," he playfully scolded, tickling my sides as he walked over to the other side. Well, more like sauntered but…focus.

This time, I sent the white ball sailing completely off the pool table and directly into the shoulder of an old man at a nearby table. My face went blood red. Damon went and got it, apologizing to the man profusely before coming back up to me. He shook his head.

"I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed.

"You are a disaster." He remarked. "And you have never played pool before, have you?"

I shook my head. My goose was cooked.

"I know." He winked. "Come here."

"What?"

"Come. Here." He said as if I were slow. "Let me show you how to hold it."

I went over to him and he stood behind me. Suddenly, his front was against my back, his arms locked around either side of me. His face was hovering against my left shoulder and he placed his hands on mine.

"Alright," he whispered. "Put this hand against the table," he said, placing my left hand down. "You're gonna want to bend your body down a little more."

He pulled my waist against his. "Like that. Relax your fingers."

It was hard to relax ANYTHING when he was literally against me. He repositioned my fingers and they felt so awkward.

"Okay, this is how you're gonna want to hold it." He whispered. "Now, lightly move it back and forward."

I tried.

"Good. Now try to aim."

With his guiding hands, I managed to hit the white ball into the purple one and it went into the pouch.

"Very nice!" He breathed.

He smelled so good; just like the scent of Abercrombie and Fitch. My heart thudded in my chest as I felt his warm lips press against my cheek. This was it. I leaned in and our lips met. Some people say they see stars when they kiss the man of their dreams. All I could feel was heat. His tongue gently eased its way in as he kissed me from behind. I dropped the pool stick and it fell with a thud.

"I think you got it now," he whispered.

He slowly released me. My heart thumped hard through my chest and I was sure the whole place could hear it. My legs got all wobbly and I felt like Bambi when he tried to walk for the first time.

"Let's take a walk." He said.

I didn't even care that we hadn't finished our game. I wanted him to kiss me again. He led me back to the car and opened the door for me.

"Are we leaving?" I asked, suddenly afraid.

He nodded_. Oh God, what did I do? Was I a bad kisser? Was my breath bad? Oh, no, he doesn't like me! _He got in on his side and smiled at me.

"Relax, honey. I can hear your brain cooking. I'm just gonna take you somewhere more private."

I wasn't sure if this was good or bad. My rational side said this was trouble. But my girl side wanted him and wanted him NOW.

"Okay," I said.

He drove down the road and into a little trail in the woods. It was getting dark. He turned the car completely off and everything around us was completely silent. He turned and stared at me. It was hard to breath and I fiddled with a lock of curled hair, straightening it with my clammy hand.

"Nervous?" He asked.

He took my hand in his.

"You really are beautiful, Alyssa. Did you know that?"

I swallowed audibly. He leaned in and pulled me close to him. He pressed his lips to mine again, his hands on either side of my face, holding me in place. His tongue explored my mouth and I liked the taste. This was nice. I got a light-headed feeling; like the world was spinning off its axis. He wanted me. His kisses got deeper and harder and I could feel his leg rub against mine. He pulled away and smiled. He pushed the hair out of my face and kissed my forehead, my eyelids, my cheeks and the tip of my nose. He trailed kisses up and down my neck, making me giggle. I had never been kissed like that before in my life! I felt his hands move towards my breasts and then under my shirt. His hands tickled my bare skin and I squirmed a little. He chuckled as he kissed me some more. His hand moved up again and as I tried to move back, his other arm stopped me.

"Relax," he whispered.

I tried to but I felt weird. This was happening way too fast. Instead of his hand moving upwards, I could feel it move down past my bellybutton. I knew where he was going and I tried to pull away.

"No," I whispered.

"Relax, you want this," he whispered, looking into my eyes. "You want me to do this."

His pupils looked strange, which only scared me more.

"No!" I said more forcefully, afraid now.

He kissed me again, holding me still. I managed to push him away and I nearly jumped out of the car, panting.

"Jesus, Alyssa, I thought that's what you wanted!" He said when he got out of the car.

My eyes stung shamefully. He was just like every other guy I knew. I didn't know why I thought he would be different. He cursed under his breath harshly and I looked away.

"Get in the car." He commanded.

I shook my head.

"For Christ sakes, let me take you home. You can't walk in the dark and I'm not leaving you. Come on!"

I reluctantly got back in the car and squeezed my eyes shut. This was not how I envisioned this date going. He sighed and he started the engine, making me jump. The ride to my house was silent and painful. It felt like my heart was breaking. I really thought he liked me; but it was clear now he only wanted one thing. Elena was right. _Maybe I should have let him_, my mind said. Now it was too late. I wanted to cry but I was too proud to let him see. I still liked him and my brain was busy making excuses for his actions. Thankfully, he had driven me home without saying a word. He parked against the curb and sat in his seat. I bit my lip and went for the door handle.

"Alyssa," he began, his voice thick. "I'm sorry for scaring you."

I looked into his eyes, hoping that he would say he still wanted to see me.

"Do me a favor and forget this ever happened." he said, his voice weary and absent.

I swallowed and nodded, awkwardly opening the door and jumping out. His car immediately sped off, leaving me alone on the curb.


	5. Talking with Jeremy

Hey everyone Thanks for the follows and reviews. This is a short chapter just used to establish a relationship between Alyssa and Jeremy. I promise some big changes in chapter 6.

Tears blinded my vision as I ran up the stairs and fumbled to unlock the door. My hands were trembling and I struggled for composure. What in the hell just happened? One second everything was great and then the next second it went to hell. Maybe I should have just let him…but then again, he was moving way too fast! I wasn't ready to be touched like that so why the heck was he? He hardly even knew me. At that moment I was scared of him and what he could do. He looked so angry. All I wanted to do was see Elena. I ran up the stairs, yelling her name. I trampled down the hall towards her room and smashed right into Jeremy's chest at full force.

"Whoa, there," he said, steadying me. "Where's the fire?"

I look a big breath.

"Where is Elena?"

"She went to Bonnie's house a little while ago; some sort of girl emergency, I don't know."

"Oh," I mumbled, crestfallen.

Jeremy studied me, taking the ear buds out of his ears and stuffing them in the pocket of his jeans.

"Lys, what happened?" He asked, concern laced in his voice.

I shook my head, looking at the floor.

"Nothing, don't worry. I'm fine. I'll be in my room."

He grabbed me before I could walk away.

"Hey, you can talk to me, too, ya know. You don't look fine. I'm guessing the date didn't go very well, did it?"

"No," I whispered.

He pulled me into his room and sat me down on the bed. His room was a mess, no surprise. I could hardly find the floor.

"Tell me what happened." He demanded, sitting next me.

"He doesn't want to see me anymore." I murmured.

"What? Already? You scared him away that quickly?" He asked, trying to tease.

I knew he didn't mean anything by what he said but I wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"Forget it," I said, getting up.

"Wait," he called, seizing my arm and yanking me back down. "I'm sorry. Now will you please tell me what happened?"

I sighed and twirled my hair.

"It started out so perfect." I began. "We were having fun. We went to The Grill to play pool. I was awful at it but then he kissed me. It was amazing. Then he said we should take a walk."

"Uh oh," Jeremy said. "Continue."

"So I did. It was dark and he drove me into the woods because he said it was private. We kissed but then he started to…" I couldn't finish.

Twin or no twin, it was still EXTREMELY awkward to talk to my brother about being touched.

"For Christ's sake, Alyssa, I'm not a prude. You can tell me. I think I know where this is going anyway. Let me guess…he tried to touch you and you got scared."

"I'm not a baby, Jeremy!" I exclaimed.

"Calm down, Lys, I never said you were." He said.

"It just didn't feel right, okay! And then he said that I wanted him to do it when I said no. It was really scary. I liked him a lot but it was too soon. He got mad at me and took me home. Then he said to forget the whole night. I don't get it, Jer."

Those unwelcome tears formed in my eyes. Why was I crying over him when I couldn't even cry over my own parents? Was I that terrible of a person?

"He's a jerk. He clearly wanted someone to just hook up with so don't take it personal. He's too dumb to see what a great girl he had. Guys are asshole's no matter who the girl is. And you were right to be uncomfortable and I'm glad you stood up for yourself. Don't worry about it, ok. And he better not come around here, if he knows what's good for him."

"It sucks." I mumbled.

"Yeah, I know. But don't let it get you down. There are plenty of other guys out there and you're beautiful."

I looked up, shocked.

"You really think so?"

"Of course…you're my twin, after all." He teased.

This time, I laughed. Jeremy bumped my shoulder. I wiped my eyes.

"Thanks, Jer. I miss talking to you."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I do too. I'm always here though."

I threw my arms around him and gave him a hug.

"I love you too! No more hugging," he exclaimed, making me giggle.

I let go and threw myself backwards against his pillows.

"Sure, make yourself comfortable," he said sarcastically, but plopping down next to me.

"Remember when we were little and we shared a room?" I asked.

"Random, but yeah. Why?"

"Dad put stars on the celling for us that glowed in the dark. We used to pretend to be astronauts. We were so close." I said wistfully.

"We were also 6. And we're still close…but after the accident we both changed."

"I know." I said. "I miss them."

"Me too," he said quietly.

This was the most Jeremy and I had ever spoken about the accident.

"I'm glad I have you though. Elena, too," I said.

He patted my arm.

"Me too, sis. Don't be upset about this Damon guy, though. Honestly, he's a dick. It's not worth it."

I smiled and sat up. Suddenly, we heard Elena's footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Ready for the inquisition?" Jeremy asked with an exaggerated groan.

I laughed.

"Hey guys," she said with a smile. "Sorry I wasn't home, Lys. How did it go? Was it amazing?"

"Not exactly," I said slowly.

At her crushed expression, I said, "Let's just say you were right."

"Oh, Alyssa, I am so sorry. I really thought he was different."

I shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. It's not worth it."

She took my hand and squeezed it.

"Exactly, because you far better than that ass. You deserve someone who will sweep you off your feet and take his time with you so you know that every second he is with you, he is treating you with respect. You want someone to want to be with you for you; not your body or just some smash and pass."

Jeremy exploded in laughter from behind me. I started to crack up too.

"What?" Elena asked, smiling. "It's true. Stop laughing," she teased, tickling my side, causing me to fall into Jeremy, who grabbed me and tickled my belly.

I screamed and squirmed, especially when Elena started with my feet too. When they let me breath, I sat up quickly and leaned against the wall.

"What is this, anyway?" Jeremy asked. "Party in my room?"

I laughed.

"It's nice to be with you guys." I admitted.

Elena smiled. "We're family; we need each other. We will always be there for you."

"No matter what," Jeremy echoed. "I'll kick his ass next time I see him."

I laughed, feeling a little better. Maybe Damon was right after all…I should just forget it. But even as I laughed and talked with my siblings, I knew forgetting Damon Salvatore wasn't going to be easy. Especially when all I could see when I closed my eyes was his pupils. What was that? They dilated and turned back to normal in seconds; like an animal's…like a predator. There was something off about him, something dark and dangerous…and sexy. _What? It wasn't like I was going to see him again and I knew I was better off that way, anyways. _I tried to shake him from my mind but I could still feel those steel arms around me.

_You want this, _he said.

As I crawled into bed, his words echoed around my ears. All of the sudden, there was a loud thud on my window, causing me to jump backwards. Elena was in the bathroom. My heart beat quickened. Was it Damon? A part of me hoped so. Instead there was a giant black crow sitting on the grass below my window…just sitting there, head cocked up towards the window. It was staring directly at me. Goosebumps covered my arms and I shuddered. I knew I was being ridiculous…it was a bird, for crying out loud.

But I swear on my parents, it was looking at me in the same way Damon did.


	6. Chapter 6

"Alyssa, for the billionth time, you look beautiful! Now come on, we have to go!" Elena bellowed at me from the bottom of the stairs.

"Hold on, I'm almost done!" I screamed back. "I didn't even want to go to this thing in the first place, remember?"

Tonight, I would be going with Elena and her "boyfriend" to Tyler Lockwood's annual house party. And by "boyfriend" I mean none other than Stefan Salvatore, the brother of…I think you know.

_Yeah_, _still working on that whole forgetting concept; it's not going too well._

I had seen Stefan a few times at school since the whole incident a week ago.

_Actually, more like 7 days, 18 hours, and 9 minutes but who was counting?_

. Stefan was nice enough; much nicer than his brother. He was definitely crazy for my sister, even if he was a little odd at times. Damon was never a topic of conversation, which I was glad about. I mean, what was I going to do…say '_excuse me; I know we hardly know each other and you think my sister is hot but why is your brother such a jerk_?' Yeah, never going to happen. Before, I had begged Aunt Jenna and Elena not to make me go to this ridiculous party but of course, they refused.

"It will be good for you," they said, like two robots programmed to be the "annoying parent".

Good for who? It certainly was not for me. I didn't particularly like Tyler; he was a cocky, self-righteous jerk who acted like the world owed him something. He was not a person I wished to spend my night at their house with, even though he was exactly like a certain someone. Damon, not surprisingly, had disappeared from the face of the Earth and I hadn't even got one glimpse of him since. It was probably best. No, I knew it was best. But even still, I kept hoping that maybe, just maybe, I would see him again. The heart really was dumb, after all. Maybe I was just a masochist. That's why I wasted so much time getting ready for a party I didn't want to go to at the house of a person I didn't like….maybe he would be there.

I was wearing a black dress that was right above my knees, with my left shoulder completely bare. My hair was in a tight French braid and I wore long, dangling silver earrings. I still didn't want to risk wearing heels though. Elena, looking stunning as usual, kept it casual in a black and silver summer dress. She could look good with a bag over her head.

"Thank God," she exclaimed when I came down the stairs. "Wow, Lys, who are you trying to impress?"

I rolled my eyes. Why did she have to know everything all the time?

As kids poured into the party like a locust infestation, I kept peering around looking for Damon. The music blared from the stereos, making the ground vibrate from beneath my feet. It was the type of loud that you almost had to scream to hear yourself. Elena had abandoned me to look for her friends and I would have done the same…if I had any.

"Hi, Alyssa," Stefan said, suddenly appearing in front of me, startling me. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

He bit back a grin.

"Oh, it's no problem," I said awkwardly, not exactly sure where to look. "I don't know where Elena is."

I never had any idea what to say to him.

"Actually, I was looking for you. I need to talk to you."

My heart instinctively pounded hearing those words. Maybe something bad had happened to Damon.

"Come on, let's talk somewhere quieter." Stefan said, taking hold of my arm and pulling me closer to the woods that surrounded the Lockwood's mansion.

"He's not here, ya know." He said bluntly.

"Who?" I asked, trying to play dumb.

He gave me an irritating "big sibling" type of look that he must have inherited from Elena.

"Look, whatever happened between you two…I'm sorry. Damon…well…he's dangerous. And that's putting it mildly, Alyssa."

"So I've been told. He didn't hurt me, Stefan."

Well, not physically anyway.

"Ok," he said, raising his hands. "I don't know what happened. I'm just sorry it didn't work out. Don't take it personally."

I fought the overwhelming urge to roll my eyes.

"I won't," I hissed.

"I want to give you something." Stefan began.

"Like a present? For me?" I asked, dumfounded. "Why?"

He chuckled and grabbed my wrist, tying a black, woven bracelet around my wrist.

"Call it an early birthday present. I gave Elena one too and a necklace. My mother used to make these by the dozens. Keep it. Wear it all the time, for luck."

"Um, thanks," I said, confused.

He smiled kindly at me and patted my shoulder.

"Enjoy the party. You look beautiful. I'm gonna go find Elena." He paused before walking away. "And do me a favor…stay away from Damon, ok."

_Well_, I thought. _That was odd_. There was definitely something off with the Salvatore brothers. Why would Elena's boyfriend give me a bracelet and a warning about his own brother that I hadn't seen in a week? Did he know something? But if he did, what would it even be? Maybe Damon was an axe murderer after all.

"Get a grip," I whispered to myself.

People were already getting drunk and tripping over each other, laughing like hyenas and I hadn't even been there an hour yet. I was surprised the Lockwood's even allowed a party of this size on their property. Then again, his parents were probably out of town anyway. I climbed my way through the sea of drunken idiots to get a glass of the hard lemonade. Okay, so I knew I shouldn't be drinking but I didn't care. I heard whistles as I walked by but I ignored it.

"Looking good, Alyssa," called Tyler, balancing a lanky brunette on his arm.

"Thanks," I said. "Jackass," I said under my breath.

People yelled and knocked into me. My ears buzzed and I could feel my chest closing as I had more than a few glasses. I was never much of a party person or a drinker. I felt claustrophobic and alone all at the same time. I needed to get out of the crowd for a little bit but as I looked for the nearest empty area, I saw him. My heart skipped a beat and I felt like I was going to throw up.

Damon Salvatore….kissing none other than Caroline Forbes.

_Bitch, _my mind screamed. I didn't expect the sight of him to hurt so much, nor did I even understand why I cared what he was doing. He made it clear he wouldn't care about me. Forget it, he said. But I couldn't. I don't know what made me decide to march over there like a sergeant…maybe I was drunk from the laced lemonade I had in my hands.

"Wow, you sure do move fast," I said accusingly.

Damon's back was to me but he immediately flipped around. His face changed in an instant; it became softer and less, I don't know, mean.

"Alyssa," he began.

"Don't even try to say anything." I interrupted, voice getting thick. "It's not like you cared or anything! You can have him, Caroline, he's all yours. You might want to keep him on a leash though."

Damon's eyes flashed to surprise to cold fury in a matter of seconds. He grabbed my arm and yanked me a few feet away from a very flustered Caroline.

"Just what do you think you're doing, little girl?" He growled at me.

He eyed my drink and looked back at me in shock.

"You've been drinking?" He exclaimed.

"So what?" I asked, slightly slurred. "What does it matter to you? Let go of me!"

I stumbled back as he released my arm.

"How many have you had, Alyssa?" He demanded.

"I don't know…six maybe." I said, the "six" sounding more like "sith" even to me.

I was a lightweight for sure.

"Jesus Christ!"

"It's a fricken party, Damon! What do you expect me to do?" I yelled.

"Have some brains and not act like some hormonal, drunken slut!" He said in contempt.

I recoiled as if I had been slapped. His face changed to, as if he registered what he said. I backed away from him.

"Alyssa, I…"

"No," I said, swallowing. "You were right. I should just forget you."

I turned and ran towards the woods, not looking behind me. All I needed was to be alone, away from everyone and everything. So that's what he thought of me, huh? A drunken slut! Well, I had never been drunk before in my life and I had only worn that stupid dress to impress him! I thought that's what he wanted…damn, I was an idiot. I was letting some random guy change who I was; whoever the hell that was, anyway. I didn't even know anymore. I hated who I had become since my parents died and I was sure they would too, if they knew. So many things were wrong in my life; my parents were gone and never coming back, we were living with an aunt who was basically a peer, a sister who tries to cure the world, a brother who hides from it with drugs, and me…someone who uses anger to try to fight it. The old me would never have lowered herself to drink or wear a skimpy dress to impress a jerk that nearly forced himself on her on the first date. What the hell?

As my brain furiously worked at everything that I had done wrong, I walked further and further into the woods. I stopped once; to barf up the lemonade into a bush. Everything was pitch black, except for the light of the full moon. Maybe that's why I had acted like such a crazy person. I knew I had better turn around; Elena would find out I was gone and freak out. I hoped Damon was worried too, even though I doubted it. And why the hell did Stefan give me a bracelet? I swear; if my life got any stranger, Ashton Kutcher would pop out from behind a tree and tell me I was being "Punk'd." Just as I was about to turn around to head back to the party, I heard a low growl emerge from behind a tree. I froze, my spine prickling with fear.

_Good job, Alyssa…go into the woods alone when animal attacks had been in the area. _

I had read somewhere that if you heard a bear, stand completely still so they won't attack. My heart rammed my chest like a sledgehammer. Yellow-orange eyes stared back at me, snarling. I could see the tip of its nose. This was no bear; it looked like some kind of wolf. It slinked out of its hiding place, jaw bared and drooling. It had sleek, black fur and a giant body.

_Nice, doggie. _I felt paralyzed with fear as it continued to move closer. I didn't know if I should move or not. I backed up and it roared, like some sort of prehistoric dinosaur as it leapt at me. I screamed as I felt claws digging into my bare skin. Suddenly, I was propelled to the left and slammed mid-air into a tree. I didn't realize my eyes were closed until I hit the soft dirt. I heard the sound of a whimper and I opened my eyes to see a black head buried into the neck of the wolf, a bloody wooden stake by its front paws. I gasped…a cannibal lived out here? I knew I was going to die; there was no way I could make it back without getting caught. The head slowly rose from the body of the animal and I nearly fainted at what I saw. It was Damon, eyes red and blood dripping from his…were those fangs? He came toward me and I stumbled to get up.

"Stay away from me!" I shrieked.

"Calm down," he said as he made his way closer.

"Don't come near me!" I screamed. "What are you!"

He stopped and I clung to a tree.

"I just saved your life; a little gratitude would be nice…I think you know what I am."

"No," I swallowed, shaking my head. "I don't."

He sighed, irritated. "I'm a vampire, Alyssa…and that was a werewolf. It was going to kill you."

I shook my head…was I really that drunk? The world was spinning around me so fast I thought I was going to fall over.

"No," I bit out. "That's not real! It can't be possible!"

I could feel tears burning my eyes and I was so paralyzed with fear I couldn't move.

"I'm afraid it is possible, sweetheart." He said, the red eyes slowly turning back into the familiar blue. "Oh, don't cry. I won't hurt you." He smirked.

He came closer again and I backed up.

"For Christ sake's, you're hurt. Let me look."

I was hurt? I had been so petrified I hadn't realized my leg and arm were bleeding and my sides felt as though someone had set them on fire. _Oh no_, my brain screamed. _I was bleeding…__**vampire**__…bleeding. _I took off in a blind run, Damon yelling my name. It was as if my feet had sprouted wings but I knew he wasn't too far behind me. Finally there was a road.

"Alyssa, no!" Damon bellowed as I made my way into the street.

I saw lights from the corner of my eye, heard the screeching of breaks combined with a loud bang and suddenly, the world blacked out.

_ Was Alyssa hit by that car or was Damon able to get to her before? In the next chapter, Damon will reveal his past to Alyssa, as he and Stefan struggle to understand why she cannot be compelled. _


	7. Chapter 7

My memory came back in spurts; almost like falling in and out of sleep during a movie. Here is what I remember clearly; Damon Salvatore was a real vampire. I was running from him in the woods and then…nothing. My eyes fluttered open to a strange place with tan walls, lying in a strange bed. I sat straight up and then yelped as pain exploded throughout my body, making my veins pulse heavily.

"Shhh, Alyssa, it's alright," a strange but familiar voice cooed.

I didn't realize my eyes were clamped shut until I saw Damon's protective face come close to me. Stefan came to my other side. I looked from one brother to another in panic and shock and tried to leap out of the bed. Two pairs of hands were upon me in an instant, gently pushing me back against the pillows.

"No!" I managed to croak out, trying to fight them off.

"Alyssa, sweetie, no one is going to hurt you. Just relax. Do you know why you're here?" Stefan asked, his tone soothing, his hand on my forehead.

I shook my head, biting my nail.

"You almost got run over by a car," Damon piped in. "I pushed you out of the way and you flew into a tree…again. Nearly broke your leg. What the hell were you thinking, anyway? Oh and you're welcome."

"Damon, this isn't the time!" Stefan said to him harshly.

I shook my head. I wanted to go home.

"I'm going home! Where is Elena?" I exclaimed in the midst of their arguing.

"You aren't going anywhere!" Damon scoffed. "You can't even stand up."

I set my jaw in defiant determination and tried to prove him wrong. It felt like my legs were jelly and someone was bashing my head in with a hammer. I nearly fell flat on my face before Damon caught me and put me back on the bed.

"That's three times I've caught you as you fell," he whispered into my ear.

My body ached all over; it was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life, even with the accident included. My skin felt like it was on fire and my bones felt as though they were made of glass. I whimpered, my body coated in sweat, trying not to make sounds. Stefan and Damon exchanged a knowing look before staring intently at me. _Oh, no, _I thought. _They were going to eat me!_ I looked for my nearest escape route and I guess Stefan saw the fear in my face.

"Easy, Alyssa, you're safe." He said.

"Where is my sister?" I bit out.

"She is banished for the time being." Damon said, arms crossed. "We need some time with you."

"Just to talk," Stefan added.

"I don't want to talk to you!"

"Tough," Damon said harshly, sitting on the bed.

He pulled at my shirt and gave me a warning look when I squirmed.

"I need to see how badly you're hurt. Stay still."

Damon let out a whistle through his teeth.

"Shit, it got you good. She needs more blood."

_What?! _I moved to the farthest side of the bed. Both of them looked at me sadly, like they hated what they were about to do.

"Hold her, Stefan," Damon said quietly.

Suddenly my senses kicked in and I started to thrash. Stefan's arms circled me in a steel hold, keeping me prisoner against his chest. He gripped me so tightly I couldn't even try to wiggle.

"Shhh, it's alright," Stefan whispered. "This is going to help you, I promise."

Damon bit his wrist and thrust it into my mouth. I panicked, bucked against Stefan and tried to move my head. Damon used his free hand to hold my chin while he forced the other into my mouth.

"Drink it, Alyssa," he commanded. "This is going to heal you."

I had no idea what he was talking about and his blood tasted salty. I continued to fight until I was exhausted and sunk back into Stefan's chest. When Damon removed his wrist, Stefan let go of me and I passed out.

The next time I awoke, I sat straight up in bed, momentarily forgetting where I was and what had happened. I blinked hard a few times until I remembered I was trapped in the Salvatore house with at least one known vampire. I was sure Stefan was too but he never told me. No one was in the room with me, though. All of the pain that I had felt before had vanished so I knew I had to try to make a break for it. I tiptoed as quietly as I could out of the room and down the hall. The house was huge and I had no idea where I needed to go to get out. I kept peering over my shoulder quickly to see if they were around but I froze when I heard their voices from downstairs.

"I already tried that, Stefan!" Damon boomed. "Do you really think I'm that stupid? That's your category, brother."

I padded to the wall, where I could hide and watch them at the same time.

"Did she have vervain in her system?" Stefan asked.

_What the hell was that? _

"No, for the last time! Now she does because of that stupid bracelet you gave her that she probably won't wear anyway. Besides, they haven't put vervain in the water supply for 100 years. I'm telling you…she can't be compelled."

"That's impossible." Stefan sounded weary.

"Apparently not." Damon remarked.

I had no idea what they were talking about and I didn't care; all I knew was I needed to get out of there before they could "compel" me. Did that mean kill? I bet it did. I slowly stood and turned around, ready to run. However, I collided into a strong chest, nearly giving me a heart attack.

"Has anyone ever told you it's not polite to eavesdrop?" Damon scolded. "And just where do you think you are going?"

"Um…" I stuttered while he cocked his eyebrow.

"I'm waiting." He sing-songed.

"I am going home!" I suddenly declared. "And you can't stop me!"

"What, are you gonna stick your tongue out at me too?" He teased. "Go back to your room."

"No! It's NOT my room and you can't tell me what to do!"

"You were so much more fun when you were asleep!" He groaned. "Glad to see you're feeling better. Just do what I say willingly or I will carry you. Your choice."

I raised my eyebrows at him like he had done to me earlier. I took that as a challenge…who was he to keep me prisoner? But true to his word, before I could make it three feet, he scooped me up and whooshed to the room so fast it felt like we were flying. He tossed me onto the bed and shut the door.

"How…how did you…?" I stammered.

He laughed.

"The perks of being a vampire," he winked.

He jumped onto the bed next to me.

"So," he said loudly.

"I want to go home!"

"Give it a rest," he said, annoyed. "You'll go home when I say you can. For now, we are going to talk."

I looked at the white sheets on the bed, not sure what to say. I was angry but I knew I couldn't get out of this.

"Any questions?" He asked, leaning back.

"So you're a vampire?"

He nodded.

"A real one?" I asked.

"As opposed to a fake one? Yes, I'm a real one!"

I widened my eyes.

"And no, I don't sparkle!" He boomed. "God damn Stephanie Meyer!"

I had to giggle, despite my frustration.

"I never liked _Twilight_ anyways. 'And so the lion fell in love with the lamb,'" I quoted, changing my pitch to mockery. "What a stupid lamb…seriously."

He laughed. "You are the farthest thing from a lamb, I can tell you that."

He played with a strand of my hair and I drew back. He sighed.

"Still upset about what happened, huh?" He asked grimly.

I bit my lip. "I'm not mad…you just scared me. I thought you liked me for more than that."

"Oh, I do. And I'm sorry. Really, I am…there's no excuse and I hope you can forgive me." He said honestly. "I would really like to start over."

I nodded before I knew I was even doing it. I couldn't say no to him, especially after he had saved my life.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" I asked. "About being a vampire?"

"Honestly, not for a while…if that. I don't tend to have much luck in the woman department." He said, widening his eyes.

"I find that hard to believe!" I scoffed.

He chuckled. "Believe what you want, honey. I won't lie to you; that's something you can count on from now on."

"Good," I said, turning to face him better. "So when you said you were 119, you weren't lying, were you?"

"Ah, you remember," he grinned. "Well, I might have exaggerated a little. I'm actually 219."

My mouth flopped open.

"You can catch a lot of flies that way," he teased.

"Sorry." I said quickly. "It's just…you were around for the Civil War?"

"Fought in it too."

"Oh my God!"

He laughed.

"So what happened?" I asked, sounding like an impatient elementary school student.

"With what?"

"How did you become a vampire?"

His face changed for a split second before returning back to normal. I wondered if I had imagined the coldness that just overtook his eyes.

"It was a woman; Katherine. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on and I fell in love with her. So did my brother and Katherine loved it. She used us as pawns against each other and we didn't see it until it was too late. She was a conniving little bitch; but she got what she wanted in the end." Damon wasn't looking at me as he said this and I knew he was still so hurt after all those years.

"She turned Stefan too?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yup."

Damon was still lying down with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. I had no idea why I wanted to comfort him when I knew what he was. Maybe I was the stupid lamb after all, falling in love with the masochistic lion…God, I hated _Twilight. _I lay down next to him and mimicked his position. He looked at me from the corner of his eye and smirked.

"Damon?" I said, voice small.

"Alyssa?" He said back.

"All those animal attacks in the woods…were they…did you?" I stammered.

"That was me." He said almost boastfully.

My body chilled.

"Oh," was all I could say.

He chuckled and turned to face me.

"Now I have a question for you…why aren't you afraid?"

"I am," I croaked. "But…I trust you. You saved me and…I don't know. Are you going to kill me?"

He shook his head. "Nope. You're a mystery to me."

I had no idea what to say to that and the idea of this Katherine person made me oddly jealous.

"Is Katherine still around?" I asked.

He sighed. "No more about that, okay."

"Do you still love her?"

"You just don't stop, do you? Enough."

He sat up. Clearly I had hit a nerve. I hated the idea of him being angry with me, especially when I had no idea what was happening.

"Is all that blood you gave me going to turn me into a vampire?" I asked.

He laughed. "It doesn't work like that. My blood is what healed you. Look at your skin."

I pulled my shirt down and saw that the deep werewolf cuts had vanished and my leg didn't feel like it was in a vice.

"Wow," I breathed. "You could have just told me what it would do…you guys didn't have to hold me down."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Give me a break. You wanted to run out the door and you weren't exactly ready to listen to us. We didn't have a choice."

"Well…thank you." I said.

He smiled.

"But what does compelling mean?" I asked.

"Ah, finally. That's a question for both me and Stefan so come downstairs. Don't worry, he doesn't bite…much. He's on a bunny diet."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Just come on or do you want me to carry you again?"

"Yeah, do that thing again," I exclaimed.

"What am I gonna do with you?" He chuckled, scooping me up.

We were downstairs in an instant and in the living room. There were shelves of old books everywhere, making it look like a library from the 1800's. Then again, it probably was. Stefan was sitting down, his face buried in a thick black textbook.

"Any pearls of information for us, brother?" Damon asked.

"Not a word for certain," Stefan replied. "But whatever it is can't be good."

"What isn't good?!" I demanded.

Stefan looked up at me and smiled. It was a fake smile though.

"Alyssa, come here for a second." Stefan said, standing up.

I looked to Damon quickly, who nodded. I don't know why but Stefan scared me more than Damon did. Maybe it was because I knew Stefan put on airs; even though he appeared to be good, I felt there was a bad side buried too. At least Damon was up front about it.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you." Stefan soothed. "I need you to take your bracelet off for me."

I did what he said, confused and a little scared.

"Compulsion," he explained, "is what vampires use to control the minds of humans. What I gave you was a bracelet laced in vervain. When you wear vervain, you can't be compelled. I gave your sister a necklace that had it. When a human is compelled, they forget what happened. So when Damon tried to tell you that you wanted to let him kiss you, he was trying to compel you. Somehow, you were able to resist."

"Is that bad?" I asked.

"We don't know." Damon interjected. "That's what we are trying to find out."

"It's never happened before, but there are stories about it." Stefan said. "Look at me."

I did as I was told and I watched as Stefan's pupils dilated.

"Nothing," he said to Damon. "Her eyes aren't changing at all."

I looked from brother to brother, hoping I could find the answer in one of their faces.

"I think I know what it is." Stefan said grimly. "But we need to consult the Witches."


	8. Chapter 8

"Are you out of your mind?!" I screamed at Stefan. "You can't just keep me here! I need to go home. My family is worried about me! I won't tell anyone, I swear."

"Honey, it has nothing to do with that. We trust you but it's dangerous for you now. Whatever you are could make the entire vampire community turn upside down." Stefan said, trying to calm me down

"Don't tell them, then!" I cried, on the verge of tears. "Please, Stefan, let me go home. I can only take so much. Vampires, werewolves and now witches…this is like a movie. No one needs to know."

Stefan shook his head sadly.

"Vampires have been looking for a human that can't be compelled for centuries. Your blood was spilled; this is for your own protection. Your blood could be the cure for vampirism; at least that's what some stories say. I don't know if that's true in your case so don't panic…"

"Don't panic?!" I screeched. "You mean that vampires will try to drain my blood like I'm some kind of guinea pig! How can I not panic? And how do I know you and Damon aren't going to kill me?"

"Because we would have already," Damon interjected, coming back into the room. "The witch is on her way."

"Great," I said sarcastically.

"I see she's taking it well," Damon said, his tone matching mine.

"SHE is right here and SHE wants to go home!" I exclaimed. "Elena is going to flip out."

"I will take care of Elena, okay." Stefan said. "I promise."

"There, problem solved." Damon said.

"No," I said defiantly. "The problem is only just beginning."

"Don't you just wish you could compel her?" Damon teased to Stefan.

Stefan and I rolled our eyes at the same time.

"Again, not helping," Stefan said.

Damon plopped down on the couch and yanked me down next to him.

"Come on, Alyssa, make yourself comfortable. You're gonna be here for a while." He said to me.

"I'm gonna go see Elena." Stefan said.

I started to get up but was once again stopped by Damon.

"And you are going to stay here." Damon said.

I rolled my eyes and groaned but did what he said. He smirked and I threw a pillow at him.

"How long am I gonna have to stay here?" I complained.

"Until the witch gets here and tells us what to do with you."

"When will that be?" I demanded, furious.

He threw his head back and sighed. He sounded like a tired parent for a moment.

"When she gets here…she's from New Orleans."

"What?!" I screamed. "I am not staying here waiting around for some crazy witch to tell me I'm some insane cure…to hell with my blood and to hell with you."

I jumped up and marched towards the door, muttering "You guys are out of your minds," over and over. I opened the door and there stood a very pissed off Damon. I gasped in surprise but didn't back up. Instead I tried to move around him and shoved him. Okay, I knew I wouldn't win a battle against him but I wasn't about to let him bully me into doing whatever he wanted.

"Take one more step and it will get _very _ugly." He growled.

I set my jaw in fury.

"Let me go." I said.

"No," he said, slowly, giving me a crazy-eyed look that terrified me.

I don't know what came over me but I reared back and tried to punch him in the face; key word there being _tried. _He grabbed my fist mid-air in a crushing grip. He dragged me close so we were face to face.

"Don't _**ever **_do that again." His voice was menacing, brimming with primal rage.

My legs were quaking with fear as he dragged me into the house roughly. Instead of bringing me into the living room where we were, he continued to pull me towards a staircase. His grip was almost painful and suddenly I was tossed into a cellar. I heard the click of a bolt going into place.

"What are you doing?" I screamed, voice cracking in panic.

There were bars on the door and it was almost pitch-black except for the light from a single light bulb on the ceiling. The floor was made of cement, just like the walls. There was a cot and a wooden bench in there. I smacked the door and kicked it.

"Let me out!"

"You're gonna stay in there until I say so; until that witch gets here and tells us what the hell you are!"

Then he left me there completely alone, kicking the door and screaming. My heart pounded in my chest and tears filled my eyes. What was happening? What was so dangerous that I couldn't be let out of a house filled with two vampire strangers? All I wanted was to wake up and to find out it had all been one big dream…the accident and even meeting Damon. What was so important about my blood and what did they mean by "cure"? A month ago I didn't know vampires truly existed…now somehow I am the link that could end vampirism just because they couldn't do mind control on me? Maybe I was still in the hospital, pumped full of drugs that gave me these insane, lucid nightmares. But for now, I was stuck in this reality and all I could do was sit in the corner and weep. I hated being locked up; always have, even when I was little and had to do time-outs. But more than that, I hated being alone.

Where was Elena? She had to save me from this. But she was probably already compelled to leave us alone until this stupid witch gets here. I didn't know what Stefan and Damon wanted to hear…that I was some sort of alien or something? There were so many things I didn't know and Damon was certainly hiding something from me. Now I was trapped in a cellar with no way out. What if they decided to test out the theory that my blood cures and just drain me? I curled myself up under the bench and tried to quiet my sobs. This was the first time I had really cried since the accident and my emotions completely exploded from my well-built internal barricade. I didn't know how long I had been down there when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I tightened up my grip around my legs, pulling myself against the wall. I wished I could be completely invisible.

"Alyssa?" Stefan called softly.

I didn't answer, praying he would go away. I heard the bolt being unlocked and door sliding open.

"Come on out," he said. "I won't hurt you."

He got down on his knees and peered under the bench.

"I talked to Elena. I told her that you were going to be spending the night at your new friend's house and not to worry."

"You compelled her," I said hatefully.

He sighed and hung his head a little.

"I didn't have a choice, Alyssa. I will tell her the truth but not right now. After this is over, I promise I will. You can be there when I do. But for now, will you come out of there for me?" His voice was soothing, like melted honey.

I hesitated but I inched my way from under my shield. Stefan gave me a weak smile.

"I'm only trying to protect you. The Lockwood family has werewolves…your blood was spilled on the ground when you were attacked. I can't risk letting you out only to have you attacked again."

"Why didn't Damon attack me?" I asked.

"He was too busy trying to save you to focus on the blood. But he was concerned about the whole compulsion thing. Look, I don't want to jump to any conclusions…it could just be you drank vervain and didn't even know it." Stefan explained.

"None of this makes sense…can't you guys just cut me or something?"

He laughed in surprise.

"No, sweetheart, we can't. In order for the cure to work, we would need almost half of your blood and since Damon made you drink his, if you die…."

"If I die what?" I asked, terror filling my voice.

"Then you will become a vampire. But eventually the blood will leave your system completely."

"Eventually," I parroted.

Stefan put his hand on my leg.

"Just try not to panic; I know it's hard and a lot to take on. Being down here probably didn't help either. I'm so sorry about Damon."

I nodded. He enveloped me in a hug and rubbed my back.

"I won't let him touch you again. Now let's get you out of here."

Before I could try to get up, Stefan slipped his arms under me and hoisted me up. He carried me up the stairs and back to the room I was in before. There was no sight of Damon anywhere. He put me down on the bed.

"Try to get some rest. It's late."

"Where's Damon?" I asked.

"He went out. Don't worry; you're safe."

Stefan patted my head and left the room. Somehow I felt uneasy knowing Damon wasn't there…like something could attack me at any moment. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep so I walked to the window. There was that black crow again, sitting on the grass and staring at me.

The witch arrived at the Salvatore boarding house the following night and I was both grateful for her arrival as well as dreading it. I was terrified at what I would be told. Damon still hadn't come back from wherever he had gone and I knew it was because of me. I was sure he would be glad to finally be rid of me once and for all. Even still, I wanted him to be there with me when the witch performed whatever mumbo jumbo she was going to use on me. But there was no sign of him when the witch rang the doorbell.

"Relax," Stefan whispered to me as he answered the door.

The woman was short, wearing a black, hooded overcoat. I couldn't see her face which made me want to turn around and bolt. Stefan was beside me in a second, taking hold of my arm. Could he read my thoughts too?

"Alyssa, meet Jasmine."

Jasmine thrust off her hood and revealed a head of curly black hair, emerald eyes and pale white skin. Frankly, she was stunning. She smiled at me.

"Do not be afraid, little one." She said kindly.

I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear nervously.

"I am going to set up now. Prepare the girl," she said to Stefan and left us alone in the living room.

"What does she mean 'prepare' me?" I asked, trying to whisper.

"Nothing, Alyssa…she just wants to make sure you understand the seriousness of what she is going to do. What she does may hurt but I promise you will be okay. And I will be there the whole time."

"Me too," Damon's voice said from behind me.

I jumped and flipped around. I could have hugged him; I was happy to see him. Instead, I stood there and stared, not moving an inch. He raised his hands up and bent his knees as he walked closer.

"Ok, I'm sorry I was hard on you and locked you in the cellar. It was a dick move." He said and smiled at me.

Then he mocked pouted.

"Come on, you didn't really think I would miss the hocus pocus, do you?"

I smiled and shook my head. He casually threw his arm around me.

"Bring in the girl!" Jasmine called from the cellar.

I looked at the men, hoping they didn't hear just how hard my heart was beating.

"Hey, whatever it is; it's going to be okay." Damon said, taking hold of my chin and forcing me to meet his gaze.

I nodded, unable to speak.

I followed Damon down the stairs, Stefan behind me. He was probably making sure I didn't try to run. The cellar was lit with candles that went around in a circle. Jasmine was sitting in the center and beckoned us to sit across from her. I sat sandwiched between Stefan and Damon, although I was leaning closer to Damon. Leaves from the forest in which I was rescued from were scattered, along with dirt and a pail of water. I wondered where her crystal ball or black caldrons were.

"Alyssa Gilbert," she said loudly, making me jump. "I have been called here tonight to determine if you are indeed The Key for regenerating life back into vampires. For thousands of years the undead have searched for blood so pure and clean that it could end their existence as immortal forever and bring them back to the living. In order to be The Key, your blood must have a connection with all of the elements of nature…Earth, fire, water and air as you are another life force. Give me your hand."

I hesitated, transfixed with the candle flames. Stefan nudged me and I gave her my hand. When I saw her pull out a long silver knife, I quickly drew it back.

"Alyssa, it's ok. She needs just a little of your blood. It will only hurt for a minute." Damon whispered, taking hold of my other hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I hate knives." I whispered quietly.

"Close your eyes or look at me." Damon said.

I gave the witch my hand and stared into Damon's blue eyes, noticing the gold the rimmed the edges. He smiled at me and squeezed me tighter when I felt the knife cut across my palm. Jasmine tipped my hand over and drew out drops of blood onto the dirt and water. She wiped my blood on her face and hands as well as mine. Still holding my hand, she began to chant in a language I had never heard before.

_"Lacomsa adoni acoumb…lacomsa adoni acoumb. Unlock the key. Unlock the key. Jendea existenctanse acoumb. Unlock its existence." _

White lenses came over both of her eyes and she tipped her head back. It suddenly felt like a hurricane had overcome the room, our hair whipped in our faces as the flames shimmied in an orange glow. Every single candle blew out, leaving us in the pitch black. As Jasmine continued to chant, I felt myself getting dizzy. I almost thought I imagined the flames returning to each and every candle. Water rose and fell and knocked all over the ground. Jasmine began to shake and my hand started to burn. I wanted all this to stop but before I could open my lips to scream, she froze. The wind stopped blowing and silence took over. Her eyes turned back to normal and she stared at me so intently, it was like she was seeing right through to the very core of my being. It felt like an eternity before she spoke.

"It is you, my child. You are The Key; the most sought after cure in the vampire universe. But there is more. Your power is a two way sword…you see; you can bring back life to vampires but one drop of your blood is enough to kill a werewolf. You are the force of life but with that, the force of death in two colliding worlds."

"But how is this possible?!" I squeaked, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears. "I am just a normal girl."

"There is nothing normal about you, Alyssa Eugenia Gilbert." She exclaimed forcefully. "Daughter of witch!"

"My mom wasn't a witch," I stammered. "You are mistaken."

"There is no mistake, young one. Your mother Eugenia Blackburn was one of the last remaining witches in Mystic Falls. I knew her well and your doppelganger sister. She fell in love with a vampire and sought for years to make a cure for his existence. She spoke with witches and spirits from all over the world and they helped to create you and your sister. You were meant to be a sacrifice but she died giving birth; no one predicted she would have twins. However, it was you that inherited the cure."

My entire world had just come crumbling down at my feet. Even Stefan and Damon hadn't expected all of this. I felt like I had swallowed an iceberg whole, freezing my body. My hands were shaking and my eyes burned. I stumbled to my feet and ran as fast as I could up the stairs of the cellar before I could be grabbed by Stefan or Damon. I felt like a caged animal that had just got free; rabid and ready to kill the next person who stood in my way. I ran out the front door, tears streaming from my face. I wanted to get as far away from the Salvatore house as I possibly could. But as I was running down the dark street, I saw the long brown hair of my sister. However, her hair was curled and her makeup was darker than what she usually wore. She looked strange but I was so grateful I nearly fell on my face.

"I am so glad you're here!" I shrieked. "You have to get us out of here!"

She just looked at me and smiled slowly.

"Did you hear me?" I croaked. "Elena?!"

"Not exactly," she smirked.


	9. Chapter 9

My first thought when I opened my eyes was that I was drowning; it hurt to breathe and I felt as though there was a giant weight on my chest. It took my eyes a few moments to focus and I realized I wasn't under water. I was in a car driven by what looked like my sister! The back of my neck started to prickle and I had an oh-too-familiar feeling of unease. This wasn't Elena…I didn't spend all of my life with that girl to get fooled by an imposter. Before I even knew what I was doing, I uttered a name.

"Katherine," I croaked, the sound of my voice startling her and myself.

"Well, I see stupidity doesn't totally run in the family," she remarked.

My throat closed, she sounded so much like my sister; however her voice was colder.

"Then again, you never were really related anyway," she smirked.

All I could do was stare at her. She glanced at me from the corner of her eye as she drove and fake-pouted.

"Aw, what's the matter? Did I hit a nerve?"

"What do you want from me?" I squeaked and tried to move towards the door.

"Ah ah ah, I wouldn't do that," she scolded.

I looked down to realize that my wrists were tied. My heart pounded in my chest as trees sailed by us. My mouth tasted like I had sucked on pennies.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To a land far-far away," she said and laughed.

I tried to maintain composure even though I felt like I was spinning out of control.

"You won't get away this. Stefan and Damon will save me and kill you."

That really made her laugh.

"Oh, sweetie, you are funny. If you weren't The Key, I might have kept you around. So sad."

"You're going to kill me." I said plainly.

"Very good!"

Suddenly, the car came to a screeching stop in the woods. There was an old abandoned church in the distance that looked like it was from the 1800's. Katherine got out of the car and zoomed to the other side before I knew it. She held my arm in a vice-like grip and dragged me towards the church. She was stronger than I ever thought possible and she acted like my attempts to nail myself to the ground with my feet were nothing. I tried to punch her but she twisted my arm until I heard a crack. Pain exploded through my body in hot waves. She thrust me into the church, which looked as though it would fall apart any second. She hit me in the stomach with all her strength for good measure and shoved me down into a chair, where she skillfully tied me down. I panted from the impact and still tried to squirm against the ropes. The ropes were wet and smiled strange. She smiled at me and pushed the hair from my face.

"Oh, you poor girl; never had a chance. I have been looking forward to this for a while."

"You're gonna kill me so you can be human?" I said even though it came out as a question.

"Oh God no!" She exclaimed. "Why in hell would I want to be a whiny, weak and mortal human?" With each word, she came closer to my face.

"Were you not listening to that witch? You are the key of life but, pop quiz, what else? Think hard."

I swallowed as it dawned on me.

"Werewolves," I whispered. "But why would you want my blood for werewolves?"

She sat down and pulled a long, silver knife out of her purse. She twirled it in her fingers. Then she pulled out a match

"For the past 100 years or so I have been stalked by a hybrid named Klaus. It's about time that stopped, don't you think?"

"What's a hybrid?" I asked, staring at the knife.

Maybe if I could keep her talking, I could wiggle out of these ropes or give Stefan and Damon more time to find me.

"Half vampire, half werewolf…now, he is also an Original. I wonder how your blood will react with him. No one anticipated The Key being a reality."

"You mean there's a chance that my blood won't even do anything to him?!" I exclaimed.

"Yep," she said and smiled. "Don't be upset…think of it as science."

I looked around widely for my first escape route.

"Enough talking now," she said and grabbed my arm.

I foolishly tried to yank my arm out of her grasp but that only made her laugh.

"Aw, is the little girl afraid of knives? Don't worry, I'll take it nice and slow for you."

I felt fire course through my body as the knife sliced up my arm.

"Next!" She called and did the same to the other one.

Blood rapidly started spilling through my skin and she had them tied in a way that they were over buckets.

"But don't worry, Alyssa. I'm not that much of a monster…you will die soon."

My vision started to blur and my head started to spin. I knew it was too late to be saved. A voice whispered, "Hold on."

I heard the door being kicked in and Katherine screeching, "What the hell?"

"Let her go now," Damon's voice growled.

I tried to see what was happening but I could hardly see. Maybe it was another hallucination. Suddenly a face was in front of me and I screamed.

"Shhh, it's just me."

"Stefan?" I croaked.

He smiled. "I'm here. I'm gonna get you out of this, okay."

"The ropes…are wet…" I whispered.

"Shh, it's alright. Nothing will happen to you."

Stefan untied my arms and I groaned in pain.

"I'm sorry, baby." He whispered.

Stefan scooped me up into his arms like I weighed nothing and kicked over the buckets that held my blood. Damon and Katherine were fighting but then I heard a crack and Katherine fell to the floor. With the match that Katherine had, Damon lit the ropes on fire. Before I knew it we were out of the church as it burst into flames. Stefan laid me gently in the grass far from the church, flames igniting the sky like a volcano. They knelt over me and examined me.

"Damon?" I squeaked.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said with a forced smile.

"Looks like you had to save me again," I said, feeling my eyes start to get droopy.

He chuckled, his eyes getting wet. "Always, little klutz. You always get into some mess, huh?" He brushed the hair from my face.

"Am I going to die?"

"Of course not!" Stefan exclaimed as he wrapped my arms in his coat and Damon's.

Stefan put his hand under my back and lifted me into a sitting position; a move which made my bruised ribs and broken arm explode in pain. I screamed.

"Alyssa, I need you to listen to me. I need to give you blood." Damon said.

I shook my head.

"I know its gross but you need it. Do you trust me?" He asked.

I nodded slowly. Stefan wrapped his arms around me, this time more in a supportive hold rather than a restraining one. Damon bit his wrist and placed it in my mouth. I drank reluctantly.

"Good girl," he cooed, patting my head. "This will make it better, I promise."

When he was finished, I felt extremely sleepy just like the last time. I leaned back into Stefan.

"Take her home." Stefan said. "I'll stay here to make sure Katherine doesn't come after you."

"I thought…I thought…" I began, too exhausted to talk.

Damon put a finger to my lips.

"Don't try to talk, honey. Just relax. You're safe now. Come here."

Stefan handed me to Damon, who held me tightly against his chest.

"Let's get you home, baby." He said and kissed my forehead.


	10. Chapter 10

"Hey sleepy head," Damon whispered as I jumped awake from a deep sleep.

I looked around, disoriented. I was once again strapped into the passenger seat. It took me a moment to remember what happened but when I did, I surprisingly didn't feel like I had been run over by a bus anymore…or that someone had tried to drain my blood.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"I don't know," I answered groggily. "I'm tired but I don't hurt so much anymore."

"Don't worry, we're almost there." He said.

I looked around again and had no idea where we were. Lights from the highway nearly blinded me.

"Where are we going?" I asked, rubbing the side of my head.

"To a hotel. We're still in New Orleans." He said, looking at me briefly.

"New Orleans?!" I exclaimed. "How long was I missing?"

"Long enough," he said through gritted teeth.

I swallowed, trying to get some moisture in my dry throat.

"I'm sorry, Damon," I said quietly.

He patted my leg and gave a forced smile.

"What the hell do you have to be sorry for? It wasn't your fault."

"Are we almost there?" I asked.

"Almost."

"How much longer?"

"I don't know. Another 10 minutes maybe," he said as he changed lanes to make it to the exit.

I was silent for a second.

"Damon, why are we going to a hotel?"

"Because you are exhausted and need a real bed. Now stop asking questions before I gag you! I need to concentrate." He exclaimed, searching for street signs and squinting.

Despite everything, I had to giggle. He always had a way of making me laugh no matter what. True to his word, we pulled into the Hilton not long after that.

"A fancy hotel?" I exclaimed.

He grinned at me and got out. Before I could even utter a protest, he was at the passenger side, holding the door open.

"Are you coming?" He teased.

"Damon!" I exclaimed.

"Alyssa!" He said back, widening his eyes and pulling me out.

"Damon, for God sakes, why are we at a fancy hotel?! I can't afford to pay even half, let alone pay you back."

"Who said anything about paying?" He asked and winked. "Come on, you. Did you ever stop to think that I may be exhausted too?"

He took my arm and led me towards the massive entrance. I couldn't remember the last time I had stayed at a hotel, let alone a real one.

"Damon, I don't even have a toothbrush or anything."

"Relax, there is a little gift shop inside the lobby."

"But…" I protested.

"I swear you argue just for the sake of arguing with me. You're a real pain in the ass. I am getting us a hotel room for the night and everything you could possibly need will be taken care of for you…I am just that kind of guy. Now shut up and let me get you settled, alright." He exclaimed.

I pursed my lips reluctantly but stopped talking. I followed him to the front desk and stood next to him as the tired-looking employee clunked on his computer, not even looking at us. Damon cleared his throat purposefully and gave him a look that made me shudder.

"Sorry to disturb you, pal," Damon growled as the employee looked up. "But you are going to give me and my tired lady your fanciest suite right now."

I watched in awe as the employee suddenly zapped awake and booked us the room within a heartbeat.

"See, I told you," Damon whispered to me, sending chills down my spine. "No worries."

"Here is your room key, sir." The man said robotically.

"Thank you," Damon smiled as he pulled me away.

"What if someone was in there?" I asked.

"They aren't now." Damon responded.

I rolled my eyes. "But…"

"You never stop, do you?" He sighed wearily. "I'm gonna go into the little store over there to get you a toothbrush and see if they have a t-shirt or something. Why don't you sit on the couch and wait for me?"

"No, I'm coming!" I said quickly, hoping he didn't hear my heartbeat quicken at the thought of being alone.

He looked at me closely, pushing a strand of hair from my face.

"You're safe now, you know that? Nothing is going to happen to you. I'll only be in there a few minutes."

I stared at him and he motioned at the couch in the lobby. I sighed and went to sit dow. I was fine up until he disappeared into the store and I was completely alone. I didn't even know where the compelled employee went. A part of me knew I was totally safe; that Stefan and Damon had my wellbeing under control. The other part was terrified I would suddenly be grabbed so Katherine could finish the job. I couldn't just sit there, no matter how tired I was. I jumped up and practically ran into the store, nearly smashing into Damon, carrying bags.

"What is the matter with you? Are you okay?" He asked, steadying me.

I nodded. "I'm…fine."

He gave me a strange look but gave my shoulders a squeeze like he understood my fears.

"Alright, I found you a toothbrush, toothpaste, a tourist t-shirt, and a hair brush. Do you need anything else?"

"A hairbrush?" I blurted.

He scoffed. "You clearly haven't looked in the mirror lately."

My cheeks turned red and he chuckled, throwing an arm around me.

"You're still cute though."

I stifled a yawn and he laughed again.

"Come on, sweetheart. Let's get out of here and get you into bed."

I was fading fast and had to lean against him to keep from falling. When we got to the room, my eyes were half closed. Even still, the room was gigantic, with two king-sized beds side by side, a big screen TV, a picture window and in the bathroom was a hot tub.

"This is incredible." I exclaimed.

"You act like you've never seen a hotel before," Damon said, throwing the bag of my stuff on one of the beds.

"Not in awhile," I said. "Thank you…for everything."

He smiled and stroked my cheek.

"Don't mention it. Get ready for bed; you're totally exhausted. I've gotta shower then I'll be passed out too."

I nodded. When I looked in the mirror, it took all I could do not to gasp. I looked like I had stuck my finger in a socket. _How attractive, Alyssa_, I thought. Oh well…Damon had already seen the worst of me…if he didn't run for the hills before, this was nothing. As I brushed my teeth, I thought about Elena and Jeremy. I wondered if they knew the truth or if they had been compelled once again. Would I ever be able to tell them what really happened? Especially with the news of our parents….honestly, why me? My life went from ordinary to depressing to insane in not even a year. All of my wounds were healed; as if today hadn't really happened at all. My eyes were bloodshot as I splashed cold water on my face. I changed into the oversized Welcome to New Orleans t-shirt that fit me more like a dress and ran a brush through my tangled hair. When I emerged, Damon was sitting on the bed closest to the bathroom, fiddling with his phone.

"It's all yours, Damon." I said.

He looked up and grinned.

"Pick whichever bed you want."

"The one farthest from the window!" I blurted.

Damon laughed. "Ok. Climb in and get some rest. I'll be out in a minute."

I nodded and got in as he flipped out the light switch. I heard the shower turn on and I tried to close my eyes. However, despite the fact that I was nearly falling asleep standing up before, I was wide awake in bed. Today's events came rushing in circles in my head. I couldn't shake the fear that something was waiting for me…maybe not even Katherine. If I was The Key then what else would want a piece of me? What if the next time, Stefan and Damon can't get to me in time? I shuddered. I tossed and turned until I heard the water turn off. Within minutes, Damon came out of the bathroom, shaking his wet hair and unbuttoning his shirt. My heart caught in my throat as I watched him silently. He was so breathtaking. I tried to stay as quiet as possible so he wouldn't catch me watching but his eyes caught me.

"You are supposed to be sleeping!" He scolded gently. "What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep," I whispered.

"Says the girl I had to practically carry up here. Come on, something spooked you." He said, sitting at the foot of the bed. "Speak."

I sighed and sat up.

"I just keep thinking about Katherine. She was so strong and came out of nowhere. I should have known not to go near her…something wasn't right but she looked…she looked just like Elena. I'm normally not that stupid…I never go with strangers or even storm out of the house. Ever! I'm sorry that I had you guys so worried and I'm sorry I was such a brat and that I tried to hit you in the face," I exclaimed as my voice got thick with emotion and quickened its pace with every word.

"Hey hey hey, slow down," Damon whispered soothingly. "Listen to me; none of what happened to you today was your fault. How the hell were you supposed to know that your sister was a doppleganger? Katherine is a ruthless bitch and she has been since the day Stefan and I met her. You didn't stand a chance and that's not an insult to you. But she is never going to hurt you again and that's a promise. Even if I have to keep you tied to my waist for the rest of your life to keep you safe, I will. Nothing and I repeat NOTHING will ever get near you to harm a single hair on your head. And as for being a brat; I tend to bring that out in people."

I bit back a smile.

"And to be honest, you trying to hit me in the face was a huge turn on. You've got guts, sweetheart. No one but Stefan is able to look me in the eyes and stand up to me the way you did."

I chuckled grimly.

"I was terrified today."

"And that's clearly normal, honey."

I sighed.

"I just wish my life could go back to normal."

He played with a lock of my hair.

"I know," was all he said.

"But I am glad about one thing." I said.

"Yeah and what's that?"

"If none of this ever happened, I wouldn't have met you."

I could see the white of Damon's teeth as he smiled.

"You certainly are something, Alyssa."

I threw myself back against the pillows, grateful I didn't smash my head in the process.

"I wish you could compel me to sleep. It's like my eyes won't close."

He chuckled. "I may not be able to compel you but there are other things I can do. Turn over; lie on your stomach."

"Why?" I asked.

"Just do it." He commanded.

I rolled over and felt him stroke my hair off the shoulder facing him and onto the other one. He started to rub slow circles on my back, loosening all my tense muscles.

"How does that feel?"

_Like I've reached Nirvana and all I want is for you to sleep with me!_ My brain screamed. I was ready for sleep but turned on at the same time.

"Amazing," I whispered, voice muffled.

He laughed. "Good. Now close your eyes and go to sleep. I'll be here the whole time."

"Damon…" I began.

"Shhhhhh," he whispered. "Turn off that beautiful brain of yours and sleep. There is nothing for you to worry about. Stop fighting it and rest."

He continued to rub my back and all the things I wanted to say just evaporated into thin air. I lost track of time and just as I was about to reach a pleasure-coma, he bent and kissed my forehead.

"I love you, Damon," I whispered.


End file.
